WEBVTT

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Pilate, to gratify the humor of the Roman

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soldiers, delivered Jesus to them to be abused

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and spitefully treated while they were preparing

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for the execution. They called together the whole

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regiment that was then waiting, and they all

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went into an inner hall where they abused our

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Lord and Savior. as a king just as in the high

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priest's hall and his servants had abused him

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as a prophet and saviour do kings wear robes

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of purple or scarlet the word says they clothed

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him with purple do kings wear crowns when they

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were abusing him the word said they plaited a

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crown of thorns and they put it on his head a

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crown of straw rushes would have been banter

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enough but this was pain also he wore the crown

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of thorns which we had deserved that we might

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wear the crown of glory which he merited let

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us be taught by these thorns even as gideon taught

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his men to hate sin to be uneasy under it and

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to be in love with jesus if we be at any time

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afflicted with a thorn in the flesh let it be

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our comfort that our great high priest is touched

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with the feeling of our infirmities having himself

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known what thorns in the flesh really meant all

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kings attended with the acclamations of their

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subjects all kings live forever? That also was

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mimicked. For the word said they saluted him

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with Hail King of the Jews. Such a prince and

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such a people. Are they good enough for one another?

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Kings have scepters put into their hand, marks

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of dominion. as the crown is of dignity to imitate

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this they put a reed in his right hand those

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who despise the authority of the lord jesus christ

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as not to be observed and obeyed who regard not

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either the precepts of his word nor the threatenings

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of his wrath do in effect this very day put a

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reed in his hand yea even as these men smite

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him on the head with it such as is the indignity

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they do him subjects when they swear allegiance

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were wont to kiss their sovereign and this they

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offered to do but instead the word said they

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spit upon him kings used to be addressed upon

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the knee and this also they brought into jest

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they bowed the knee and worshipped him this too

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they did in scorn to make themselves and one

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another laugh they were by sin become liable

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to everlasting shame and contempt to deliver

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us from which our lord and saviour submitted

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to this shame and contempt for us he was thus

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mocked not in his own clothes but in another's

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to signify that he suffered not for his own sin

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the crime was ours The shame he is. Those who

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pretend subjection to Christ, but at the same

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time give themselves up to the service of the

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world, the flesh and the evil one, do in effect

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this very hour. The same that they did then,

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who bowed the knee to him in mockery and abused

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him with, Hail, King of the Jews, when they said,

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We have no king but caesar those that bow the

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knee to christ but do not bow the soul that draw

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nigh to him with their mouths and honor him with

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their lips but their hearts are far from him

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put the same affront upon him that These did

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when he was led to the cross. The soldiers at

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the hour appointed led him away from Pilate's

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judgment hall to the place of execution. As a

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sheep to the slaughter, he was led forth with

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the workers of iniquity, though he did no sin.

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but lest his death under the load of his cross

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which he was to carry should prevent the further

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cruelties they intended they compelled one simon

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of cyrene to carry his cross for him they compel

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one passing by Simon of Cyrene coming from the

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country, who is the father of Alexander and Rufus

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to go with him, that he might bear his cross.

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Now Mark, whose gospel was intended for the Christians

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at Rome, uses the phrase the father of Alexander

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and Rufus. Now this is a pointless thing to say

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unless Alexander and Rufus were already well

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known by the time that Mark's gospel was written.

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Rufus we meet again for he's mentioned in the

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epistle to the Romans. Simon we meet again. For

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my own part, I believe that an African played

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a part, a beautiful part, in the drama of the

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Passion. For just a few minutes, let us try to

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recapture the scene. Jesus is on his way from

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Pilate's palace to the hill of Calvary outside

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the city gates. He's been up all night. He has

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passed through an agony of spiritual struggle

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in the Garden of Gethsemane. He has sustained

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the shock of his disciples' cowardice and the

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strain of four trials, one before Annas, one

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before caiaphas one before herod and one before

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pilate with all the wounding of the spirit which

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comes from listening to false witnesses he's

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heard a mob cry crucify him crucify him He was

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subjected to the coarse cruelty of a handful

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of Roman soldiers. He'd been bound with thongs

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that bit into his flesh. He'd been struck on

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the head till his head ached and throbbed. He'd

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been crowned with thorns. His back had been whipped

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with a leather scourge in the lash of which pieces

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of iron had been tied. A punishment frequently

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causing death to the victim. And now... they

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have placed on his raw and quivering shoulders

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two huge rough beams of wood under the weight

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of which he sways and staggers fainting in the

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heat almost falling in all the filth of an eastern

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street this is the christ of King of kings, lord

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of lords, the only ruler of princes to whom every

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knee one day shall bow. This is the one whose

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lips had spoken words of forgiveness and life,

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whose hands had been stretched out in healing

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and blessing, whose feet had walked in tireless

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errands of mercy and love, and whose very name

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forevermore will kindle. new resolutions, new

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purposes in the minds and hearts of men. The

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officer in charge of the soldiers, moving very

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slowly, does not know what to do. A Roman soldier

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must not be asked to carry the wood for a criminal.

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No ordinary Jew in the crowd could be impressed

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into the Roman service. What was the officer

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in charge of the party to do? Jesus obviously

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could carry his cross no further. No appeal to

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the priest was possible. Their reaction would

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most certainly be, cannot Rome carry out its

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own executions? Here comes one. Simon. who solves

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the problem. I cannot begin to tell you what

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this portion of the word of God means to me personally.

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One of these days I shall have the privilege

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of looking Simon in the face, placing my hand

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on his shoulder and express my own... personal

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appreciation to him for what he did for our wonderful

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lord that day as the little procession nears

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the gate to pass out on the way to the green

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hill beyond the city wall black simon is coming

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in on business of his own simon of cyrene tall

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strong obviously not a townsman the officer in

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charge of the soldiers seized the solution at

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once he would not dare to incur the enmity of

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the priests by making an orthodox white jew unclean

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on the eve of the passover at this time of high

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festival his feet had turned toward the holy

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city being black he did not find it easy to get

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lodgings within the city had been obliged to

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lodge outside every morning however he tramped

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into the city to take his part in the great festival

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and with buoyant heart and smiling eyes with

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all his arrangements made to spend the day at

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the spot which for the debout jew was the hub

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around which all the world revolved the temple

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of Jerusalem. Then the officer spots him. He

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looks strong. He is a stranger. He knows nothing

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what has happened. Nothing. I do not believe

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that Simon even knew Jesus. And yet, I feel that

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something happened on that walk. Between the

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gate of Jerusalem and the hilltop that we call

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Calvary, Simon of Cyrene came into contact with

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the most powerful transforming force in the world,

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the friendship of Jesus. He had the honor of

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bearing the cross. His cross. It is incredible

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that Jesus would say nothing to one who even

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under compulsion was doing him a service. We

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do not know what was said. But even if the soldiers

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compelled silence and prohibited even the touch

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of Jesus' hand on Simon's shoulder, there would

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be some contact of spirit with spirit. For we

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do know Simon became a Christian. Our evidence

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is that he is called the... father of Alexander

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and Rufus. And those who received Mark's Gospel

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in Rome knew to which Simon reference was made.

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For Alexander and Rufus were known to them all.

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As one contemplates the part played by Simon

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in the drama of the Passion, there are several

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things that mean much to all of us. I'm glad

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that Simon the Black Man is in the picture and

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that he recognized Jesus as Savior. For remember,

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Jesus belongs to all races. In a sense, we might

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say that Jesus was a Jew. But always keep in

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mind that Christ is raceless. I remember someone

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telling of a little girl in India who was shown

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a picture of our Lord which had been made in

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England. And when she saw it, to everybody's

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surprise, she cried. And when asked why she was

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crying, she said, I didn't think he was a bit

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like that. Somehow, I think I know what the little

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girl meant. Jesus belongs to everybody. Jesus

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belongs to every race in the world. Know that.

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Perhaps that is one reason why you've heard me

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say it over and over again. I have no picture

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of Jesus in my room. For no artist's brush, the

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greatest... artist in the world could not put

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on canvas the beauty of the Christ that I know

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as a living reality. You ask me, have you ever

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seen Jesus? Have you ever looked into his face?

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No. I have never. seen the face of Jesus. But

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somehow I know exactly what he looks like and

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is more real to me than any human being that

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I've ever seen. He knows no such thing as race.

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Simon. Simon of Cyrene. You were so close to

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him. Tell me, as you carried his cross, what

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did he look like? And methinks the face of Simon,

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shining with a glory, beautiful beyond description,

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would say, I tell you, not really. Not really.

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It was what I felt when I was in his presence.

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It was the peace that filled my heart. The load

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of sin, of iniquity lifted from me. For just

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a moment, the cross was heavy. But in a second,

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the weight of the cross lifted from me. And I

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felt a peace. I felt a joy. I felt a thrill that

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I had never experienced in my life before. He

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became more than mere man to me. Man who knew

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no race, no nationality. He became my savior.

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What something. You and I must not think it strange

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if crosses come upon us suddenly. He would be

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surprised by them. The cross was a very troublesome,

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a very heavy load. But he that carried it a few

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minutes had the honor to have his name upon record

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in the Book of God, though otherwise an obscure

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person. But remember, wherever the The gospel

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has been preached. What Simon of Cyrene did was

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told as a memorial of him. In like manner, my

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friend, the affliction. No cross, no affliction

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for the present be joyous but grievous. it yields

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a crown of glory to them that are exercised thereby.

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That's what the word of God means. The second

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epistle of Paul, the apostle to Timothy. Be not

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thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our

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Lord, nor of me, prisoner but be thou partaker

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of the affections of the gospel according to

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the power of god who hath saved us and called

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us with a holy calling not according to our works

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but according to his own purpose and grace which

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was given us in christ to jesus before the world

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began there's a cross for you there's a cross

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for me to carry even as simon of cyrene carried